In 2025, a Hyderabad-based man approached the Consumer Court after claiming that he was made to watch 22 minutes of advertisements at a PVR INOX theatre when he went to see the Dhanush-Nagarjuna starrer Kubera. Last month, in September 2026, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II, Hyderabad, held PVR INOX liable for deficiency in service and unfair trade practices and ordered the multiplex chain to pay Rs. 20,000 as compensation to the complainant and Rs. 5,000 towards litigation costs.
This was the second such case in which the multiplex chain was asked to compensate an aggrieved moviegoer over advertisements. Last year, a Bengaluru patron, upset over being made to watch nearly 25 minutes of commercials and trailers during a screening of Sam Bahadur, approached the Consumer Court. PVR INOX was subsequently ordered to pay Rs. 1 lakh in compensation and legal costs.
Advertisements in cinemas, before a film begins or during the interval, have been a common practice for decades, and moviegoers have largely accepted them. Certain brands have even relied heavily on the big screen for promotions. For instance, viewers in Mumbai would fondly remember the Gangar Opticians advertisement that was regularly shown in cinemas in the early 2000s. Its memorable presentation ensured that the brand enjoyed strong recall value among moviegoers. In recent times, the Lyra Leggings commercial featuring Janhvi Kapoor, along with its catchy theme song, has become firmly etched in the minds of moviegoers, thanks to its repeated screenings in theatres. Interestingly, the ad is rarely, if ever, seen on television, and audiences have largely come across it in cinemas. Those frequenting PVR INOX cinemas would also be familiar with an audiovisual presentation in which prominent brand owners and company officials explain how cinema advertising can have a significant impact on footfalls and sales.
However, while patrons may not mind watching advertisements, having become accustomed to them over the years, the problem arises when the commercials go on and on, testing their patience. Bollywood Hungama spoke exclusively with Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Executive Director, PVR INOX Limited, about the healthy box office performance in September and the first week of October. Towards the end of our interaction, we asked him about the recent ruling concerning cinema advertisements and whether a middle ground could be reached, allowing advertisements to continue but within reasonable limits.
Sanjeev Kumar Bijli said, “We are always looking at that. We haven’t received that many complaints. We have also reduced our ad time from 15-18 minutes to 10 minutes, which we thought was a sweet spot and which we thought wasn’t compromising on the viewing experience. But of course, you can’t please everyone and this happened. But we are obviously keeping a close eye on it.”
He continued, “We haven’t come out with anything which is a carte blanche policy. But we are keeping a keen eye on it to see how we can reduce it. At the end of the day, we want to make sure that the moviegoing experience does not get compromised by anything. As of now, we have reached a sweet spot as far as ad time is concerned. Hopefully, that’ll be palatable and acceptable to everyone.”
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: PVR INOX’s Sanjeev Kumar Bijli celebrates Drishyam The Conclusion’s box office success: “Our weekend admissions stood at 30 lakhs, among the HIGHEST ever”; predicts BLOCKBUSTER run for Ramayana: “It has all the ingredients”
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